BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. Last night, after a meeting with the sponsors in the Alan Faena Hotel, the Parrilla Racing Corse team cruised the new cars around the city and parked in the Obelisco intersection, the most famous crossing in Buenos Aires, revealing next season liveries to the public.
Maybe its just me but they seem slightly unsettling on the Ferrari, probably because their smiling too (which makes them look too much like the The Langoliers )
Maybe its just me but they seem slightly unsettling on the Ferrari, probably because their smiling too (which makes them look too much like the The Langoliers )
The WRL has made many changes to improve the stability of each race. They include:
Slight Reduction in visuals, does not affect the liveries
Cars that have been retired to the garage are now invisible unless selected
A new image program is being used to compress .dds files for the liveries of the cars. This has reduced the file size of each livery from 18mbs (GIMP) to 2.5mbs without any loss in quality.
The WRL spent the offseason making wholesale changes to the rFactor mods used for the first ever Tag Heuer World Sportscar Championship season. One of the first steps was reworking the pits at all the tracks in order to accommodate a maximum grid size of 50 cars. Onboard cameras were altered to provide a better and more realistic view of the action. Trackside cameras have been altered or completely replaced. Every camera at the Bahrain Circuit was removed and completely rebuilt from scratch to provide shots of the action similar to a TV broadcast. When capturing sportscar racing you need certain camera angles that show large portions of the track at any given time because the grid is very large and people want to see their cars. The WRL believes for the most part this was accomplished.
Unfortunately, 2 issues still persist. One is that for whatever reason, the lights of GT cars does not illuminate the road at night. Another is the quality of the twitch stream. At the moment it is stable and strong, but rather ugly. There is a sample lap of a Dodge Viper GTSR at Monza on twitch.tv/alphicah to give an idea of the quality. Its unfortunate the streaming quality is this low (but rock solids), but my PC is unable to stream HD and handle 50 cars. Upload speed is solid (8-9mbps) but raising the stream's bit rate doesnt appear to help. If anyone can offer advice, I would appreciate it.
And one more thing. I plan to stick to the schedule as tightly as possible, but Im sure I'll have to be out of town for one of the race weekends. If this happens the race will be rescheduled during the layover from Spa to LeMans.
Ferrari Announced as Formula B-Spec Season 3 Constructor
Ferrari will be the lone constructor for the upcoming Formula B-Spec Season, the WRL can reveal.
There had been rumors for some time that the next season of FBS would feature multiple constructors, but after significant testing it was decided to use just one car.
"What we're doing is similar to Indycar," said the WRL boss. "We have a base car, but the teams will have different engines and they can modify their cars significantly, far more then they ever have in the past, to the point where they can rename the chassis as it essentially becomes their own. The reasoning for using just one car instead of a different constructor for each team was to reduce R&D time and costs."
With the vast majority of testing for the World Sportscar Championship completed, the WRL is using the WSC preseason to focus on FBS.
"Its the same type of work every time. Fine tune damage, test and equalize upgrades and strategy, work on new rules, test the cars at the tracks, fine tune the AI, fix the onboard and track cameras, etc etc. The end goal is to produce a series where one team can use its technical knowledge and strategy to defeat another. In the past this was largely limited to setups. Now that some people have figured out the whole setup game, its time to turn the tables on them which will hopefully give more people a shot at podiums and wins."
Future testing will take place in private as the focus will remain on the WSC until its completion in April.
The team formally known as Racerworkz returns under the newly formed Toyota Team America banner, announcing its full season participation in the Tag Heuer World Sportscar Championship. With its Headquarters in the same facility that held the HPDs that were campaigned months ago, the team has its experience in running multiple cars in endurance racing. "We've been carefully together everything" said the TTA team Boss. "Its a great opportunity to extend the relationship we have with Toyota from our sister team in the GTPFS to this series, which is ultimately what lead to the team's name".
While sponsorship is pretty much not even a question, they did hint at a paint scheme that would not be the typical one you'd see on a Toyota Race car outside the US. "There is gonna be some huge inspiration from a certain Stock Car racing series, especially from one of the two lower divisions. After carefully looking at some ideas, we found that this one surprisingly works well on a LMP1 car". As for the drivers, the team says its has many potential ones its still going through, but will announce them shortly. "There are some very quick ones we think definitely deserve a shot. There's a chance one of our lineups will be an all-Japanese pairing while the others will be boasting what we think are some excellent talent from the Open wheel ranks as well as some from Sportscars"
Anyone else really enjoying having a 3D livery to work on again? I've missed having to find out what sections of the template are used to paint a specific part of the car, playing around with colours, getting all of the logos looking neat and clear... And all building up to that big reveal to you all! If only I put this much work into my setup development!!!
A NEW SEASON, A NEW CHAPTER Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy
Originally based in Italy, Scuderia Pergusa were once a staple name in the world of auto racing, having history in Touring Car and Endurance racing as far back as the early 60's. Famous for their drivers possessing highly aggressive, on-the-limit racing styles, the team's drivers were widely feared by lesser teams and respected by their peers. However, after rapidly escalating costs and a series of career-ending incidents in the early and mid 90's, the team collectively hung their helmets up and called it quits. The name would remain dormant for over two decades, until former members of Scarlet Devil Raceworks' junior teams would break away to revive the storied name in 2012. Since its reformation, the team has competed in the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup and the various Road to Indy classes.
This year marks the second year of competition globally for the now US and Euro-mixed squadron; although Scuderia Pergusa is traditionally associated with the European motorsports scene, the reformed team is based in the United States, hence the influx of American drivers in its line-up. The team's line-up is wide and diverse, from ex-stock car drivers to upcoming GT racing hotshots, and there's even a fighter pilot in the mix among them all.
For this season, Scuderia Pergusa will be fielding a number of special guest drivers in the leading #76 Porsche. Rena Hirose, normally a test pilot for the Universal Peace Enforcement Organization, will have her first taste of a high-performance race car. Her teammates, professional racer Rena Hayami and model-turned-racer Reina Akikawa join her in the quest to bring the #76 Porsche home first.
Joining them in the #77 Porsche are the team's Endurance racing leaders, ex-GP2 driver Emma Pergusa and ex-Lightning Car racer Amber Sebringson, both of whom left their respective series during their tenure at Scarlet Devil Raceworks. To round out the young talents with an older 'tutor', Jack Acid (famous for his Tales from the GRID video journal) will be working alongside the two girls on their journey for Endurance racing glory. If budgeting permits, team manager Stefano di Fiorano, rallying talent Lumi "Yuni" Ahokainen, and former short-track stock car racer Frank Monterrey will be running the #78 Porsche with them.
#76: Rena Hirose(allegedly)
Nationality: Japanese
Birthday and Age: April 27th (age undisclosed)
Height: 5 ft 2.5 in (~159 cm)
Weight: 136 lbs
The alias of someone who is apparently a test pilot for a global peace enforcement organization, Rena has kept the rest of her past a secret from most of the team. It is suspected that the name she used to register for her racing license is actually an alias, which only really shrouds her in further mystery. The only proof that very obviously makes her not quite the real Hirose is that her skin condition is an irritant, not a fatal disease.
Reina Akikawa
Nationality: Japanese
Birthday and Age: Date undisclosed (age 24)
Height: 5 ft 4 in (162 cm)
Weight: Undisclosed
A major TV personality and fashion model by day, and a wander of Tokyo's highways at night, Reina is unique to Scuderia Pergusa's cast by being (allegedly) the only street racer of the bunch. As host of the TV car culture show "Drive Go Go!", her time spent here will likely be used for a series of features of car culture abroad. Given her love for driving, touring the world with the Scuderia will probably be a good way for her to get away from the stresses of modeling life.
Rena Hayami
Nationality: Japanese
Birthday and Age: November 27th, 1987 (age 27)
Height: 5 ft 3 in (~160 cm)
Weight: Undisclosed
A professional GT racer originally part of G.V.I.'s racing program, Rena would later race under her own name in order to prove her worth as a driver. With a number of championship victories in Japan and Southeastern Asia, Hayami is by far the most experienced of the #76 car's three drivers. She was scouted by Emma after the two dueled in an all-girls GT racing invitational at Road America, hence her presence on the team.
#77: Emma Pergusa
Nationality: Italian
Birthday and Age: June 7th, 1990 (age 24)
Height: 5 ft on-the-dot (152 cm)
Weight: 149 lbs
Born close to the time the Scuderia was about to close its doors, Emma saw the rapid fall of the stars she looked up to. Despite the fall of her family's team, she insisted on becoming a racer anyway, which would lead her to joining Scarlet Devil Raceworks' junior racer program on the year of her 16th birthday. From there, she rocketed her way up the open-wheel ladder, until a huge crash at Spa-Francorchamps in 2011 broke both of her ankles. Afterwards, she left alongside her boyfriend Stefano di Fiorano to revive the Scuderia Pergusa name.
Amber Sebringson
Nationality: American
Birthday and Age: August 12th, 1989 (age 25)
Height: 5 ft 6 in (~168 cm)
Weight: 145 lbs
One of the twin daughters to Endurance legend Jackie Sebringson, Amber was always the more quiet-spoken of the two. Growing up alongside her sister Crystal, Amber made it a point that wherever her sister went, Amber would follow. Their talents in karts and later low-level open-wheel cars would eventually translate into being members of Scarlet Devil Raceworks' junior program in 2010, and would debut in the Lightning Car Series a year later. Amber left the team and series after a fiery near-miss with death late into the season; this same crash ended her sister's career.
Jack Acid
Nationality: American
Birthday and Age: Undisclosed (probably in his mid-to-late 30's)
Height: 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight: 176 lbs
World-renowned as the former team owner of Apex Head Racing, Jack had it all: numerous wins across a variety of championships all over the world, a highly prestigious team, and last but certainly not least, his video series consisting of humorous (if somewhat foul-mouthed) tales of his highlights (and low-lights) in his career. After floundering about with Intel Motorsport two years ago, Scuderia Pergusa paid him an undisclosed amount to compete in the #77 car for this season.
#78: Stefano di Fiorano
Nationality: Italian
Birthday and Age: September 7th, 1990 (age 24)
Height: 5 ft 8 in (~174 cm)
Weight: 156 lbs
Formerly a motorcycle racer prior to becoming team manager, a major crash during his time at Scarlet Devil Raceworks put him out of commission for a year and a half. During this time, he discussed plans of starting up a race team of his own with Emma Pergusa, and thus the idea came about to revive the old Scuderia Pergusa name. Since becoming a team manager, Stefano has kept his racing experience confined to four wheels rather than two, on requests from his fellow team members.
Lumi "Yuni" Ahokainen
Nationality: Finnish
Birthday and Age: August 15th, 1992 (age 22)
Height: 5 ft 8 in (~174 cm)
Weight: 153 lbs
A rallying up-and-coming talent, Lumi was attracted to sports car racing when she saw one of her friends hooning a Porsche Cup car in a local rally-sprint event. Well-known in her friends circle for always answering everything deadpan, "Yuni" gets her nickname for her absolute hatred of snow, and prefers being called by her nickname for this reason. Though not quite as experienced as the other drivers, she hopes to show the world what a rallying Finn can do given a sports car.
Frank Monterrey
Nationality: American
Birthday and Age: March 28th, 1977 (age 38)
Height: 6 ft 1/2 in (~184 cm)
Weight: 191 lbs
Normally the team's head engineer, Frank has decided to get back into professional racing after having been involved in historic sports car racing for several years. Prior to his involvement with the Pergusa team, he was well-known on the East Coast for being one of the most intimidating drivers on any given short oval track. He's good friends with Jack Acid despite all of the bickering and ranting thrown at him, and this season is their opportunity to reunite.
Technical Suppliers
Michelin (Tires)
Yurei! Hugging Monster (Motorsport Apparel)
Aoko Performance Brakes (Brakes)
Curva Suspension (Suspension and Chassis)
Pinpoint Dynamics (Data Logging)
Motor Works (Engine Tuner)
ViscosoCo (Oil & Lubricants)
Rockbell Machine Tools (Tools and Maintenance)
Corporate Partners
Nishiki/Nomiya Group (General Technology)
AtaGO! (Transport & Logistics)
RSN8 Communications Co. (Communications)
Pro-CURE Manufacturing (Materials and Manufacturing)
A NEW SEASON, A NEW CHAPTER Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy
Originally based in Italy, Scuderia Pergusa were once a staple name in the world of auto racing, having history in Touring Car and Endurance racing as far back as the early 60's. Famous for their drivers possessing highly aggressive, on-the-limit racing styles, the team's drivers were widely feared by lesser teams and respected by their peers. However, after rapidly escalating costs and a series of career-ending incidents in the early and mid 90's, the team collectively hung their helmets up and called it quits. The name would remain dormant for over two decades, until former members of Scarlet Devil Raceworks' junior teams would break away to revive the storied name in 2012. Since its reformation, the team has competed in the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup and the various Road to Indy classes.
This year marks the second year of competition globally for the now US and Euro-mixed squadron; although Scuderia Pergusa is traditionally associated with the European motorsports scene, the reformed team is based in the United States, hence the influx of American drivers in its line-up. The team's line-up is wide and diverse, from ex-stock car drivers to upcoming GT racing hotshots, and there's even a fighter pilot in the mix among them all.
For this season, Scuderia Pergusa will be fielding a number of special guest drivers in the leading #76 Porsche. Rena Hirose, normally a test pilot for the Universal Peace Enforcement Organization, will have her first taste of a high-performance race car. Her teammates, professional racer Rena Hayami and model-turned-racer Reina Akikawa join her in the quest to bring the #76 Porsche home first.
Joining them in the #77 Porsche are the team's Endurance racing leaders, ex-GP2 driver Emma Pergusa and ex-Lightning Car racer Amber Sebringson, both of whom left their respective series during their tenure at Scarlet Devil Raceworks. To round out the young talents with an older 'tutor', Jack Acid (famous for his Tales from the GRID video journal) will be working alongside the two girls on their journey for Endurance racing glory. If budgeting permits, team manager Stefano di Fiorano, rallying talent Lumi "Yuni" Ahokainen, and former short-track stock car racer Frank Monterrey will be running the #78 Porsche with them.
#76: Rena Hirose(allegedly)
Nationality: Japanese
Birthday and Age: April 27th (age undisclosed)
Height: 5 ft 2.5 in (~159 cm)
Weight: 136 lbs
The alias of someone who is apparently a test pilot for a global peace enforcement organization, Rena has kept the rest of her past a secret from most of the team. It is suspected that the name she used to register for her racing license is actually an alias, which only really shrouds her in further mystery. The only proof that very obviously makes her not quite the real Hirose is that her skin condition is an irritant, not a fatal disease.
Reina Akikawa
Nationality: Japanese
Birthday and Age: Date undisclosed (age 24)
Height: 5 ft 4 in (162 cm)
Weight: Undisclosed
A major TV personality and fashion model by day, and a wander of Tokyo's highways at night, Reina is unique to Scuderia Pergusa's cast by being (allegedly) the only street racer of the bunch. As host of the TV car culture show "Drive Go Go!", her time spent here will likely be used for a series of features of car culture abroad. Given her love for driving, touring the world with the Scuderia will probably be a good way for her to get away from the stresses of modeling life.
Rena Hayami
Nationality: Japanese
Birthday and Age: November 27th, 1987 (age 27)
Height: 5 ft 3 in (~160 cm)
Weight: Undisclosed
A professional GT racer originally part of G.V.I.'s racing program, Rena would later race under her own name in order to prove her worth as a driver. With a number of championship victories in Japan and Southeastern Asia, Hayami is by far the most experienced of the #76 car's three drivers. She was scouted by Emma after the two dueled in an all-girls GT racing invitational at Road America, hence her presence on the team.
#77: Emma Pergusa
Nationality: Italian
Birthday and Age: June 7th, 1990 (age 24)
Height: 5 ft on-the-dot (152 cm)
Weight: 149 lbs
Born close to the time the Scuderia was about to close its doors, Emma saw the rapid fall of the stars she looked up to. Despite the fall of her family's team, she insisted on becoming a racer anyway, which would lead her to joining Scarlet Devil Raceworks' junior racer program on the year of her 16th birthday. From there, she rocketed her way up the open-wheel ladder, until a huge crash at Spa-Francorchamps in 2011 broke both of her ankles. Afterwards, she left alongside her boyfriend Stefano di Fiorano to revive the Scuderia Pergusa name.
Amber Sebringson
Nationality: American
Birthday and Age: August 12th, 1989 (age 25)
Height: 5 ft 6 in (~168 cm)
Weight: 145 lbs
One of the twin daughters to Endurance legend Jackie Sebringson, Amber was always the more quiet-spoken of the two. Growing up alongside her sister Crystal, Amber made it a point that wherever her sister went, Amber would follow. Their talents in karts and later low-level open-wheel cars would eventually translate into being members of Scarlet Devil Raceworks' junior program in 2010, and would debut in the Lightning Car Series a year later. Amber left the team and series after a fiery near-miss with death late into the season; this same crash ended her sister's career.
Jack Acid
Nationality: American
Birthday and Age: Undisclosed (probably in his mid-to-late 30's)
Height: 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight: 176 lbs
World-renowned as the former team owner of Apex Head Racing, Jack had it all: numerous wins across a variety of championships all over the world, a highly prestigious team, and last but certainly not least, his video series consisting of humorous (if somewhat foul-mouthed) tales of his highlights (and low-lights) in his career. After floundering about with Intel Motorsport two years ago, Scuderia Pergusa paid him an undisclosed amount to compete in the #77 car for this season.
#78: Stefano di Fiorano
Nationality: Italian
Birthday and Age: September 7th, 1990 (age 24)
Height: 5 ft 8 in (~174 cm)
Weight: 156 lbs
Formerly a motorcycle racer prior to becoming team manager, a major crash during his time at Scarlet Devil Raceworks put him out of commission for a year and a half. During this time, he discussed plans of starting up a race team of his own with Emma Pergusa, and thus the idea came about to revive the old Scuderia Pergusa name. Since becoming a team manager, Stefano has kept his racing experience confined to four wheels rather than two, on requests from his fellow team members.
Lumi "Yuni" Ahokainen
Nationality: Finnish
Birthday and Age: August 15th, 1992 (age 22)
Height: 5 ft 8 in (~174 cm)
Weight: 153 lbs
A rallying up-and-coming talent, Lumi was attracted to sports car racing when she saw one of her friends hooning a Porsche Cup car in a local rally-sprint event. Well-known in her friends circle for always answering everything deadpan, "Yuni" gets her nickname for her absolute hatred of snow, and prefers being called by her nickname for this reason. Though not quite as experienced as the other drivers, she hopes to show the world what a rallying Finn can do given a sports car.
Frank Monterrey
Nationality: American
Birthday and Age: March 28th, 1977 (age 38)
Height: 6 ft 1/2 in (~184 cm)
Weight: 191 lbs
Normally the team's head engineer, Frank has decided to get back into professional racing after having been involved in historic sports car racing for several years. Prior to his involvement with the Pergusa team, he was well-known on the East Coast for being one of the most intimidating drivers on any given short oval track. He's good friends with Jack Acid despite all of the bickering and ranting thrown at him, and this season is their opportunity to reunite.
Technical Suppliers
Michelin (Tires)
Yurei! Hugging Monster (Motorsport Apparel)
Aoko Performance Brakes (Brakes)
Curva Suspension (Suspension and Chassis)
Pinpoint Dynamics (Data Logging)
Motor Works (Engine Tuner)
ViscosoCo (Oil & Lubricants)
Rockbell Machine Tools (Tools and Maintenance)
Corporate Partners
Nishiki/Nomiya Group (General Technology)
AtaGO! (Transport & Logistics)
RSN8 Communications Co. (Communications)
Pro-CURE Manufacturing (Materials and Manufacturing)
Until now, the team has been really quiet in terms of revealing any sort of livery. Well, to keep everyone up to date, the team is having a few difficulties at the moment, but promises to bring about a livery by the time testing has concluded. They released this to let everyone know they are still around.
I've been real busy with school lately. My grades have been slowly going down and I'm trying to focus more on it than anything else. I think after I get finished with all this work on my hands this last week before Christmas break, I'll have something to show you guys
)
Y'all do realize if you make it easy on me you'll never hear the end of it, right?